The present invention relates to aviation and more particularly to airport runway surfaces.
Some smaller airfields are known to have natural grass surfaces. Those airfields experience each of the same problems growing and maintaining grass that exist in any type of natural grass setting. For example, grass in such fields can die for a myriad of reasons, leaving muddy ground that becomes rutted or heaved due to moisture. The ground can also dry to the point of creating foreign object debris (“FOD”) problems for aircraft. Such natural grass surfaces require watering and feeding, which is time consuming and expensive. Moreover, such natural surfaces provide food and nesting materials for birds and other animals, which are generally unwelcome around aircraft.
Besides the natural hazards to maintaining natural grass, the impact of aircraft exacerbates the degradation of the natural surface. Aircraft landing in wet, muddy and/or bare areas can further rut or heave the natural surface. Moreover, the force created by the aircraft landing gear can destroy the natural grass, especially in conditions where such grass is not healthy or in areas where the root structure of the natural grass is not particularly strong. Such areas can become rutted or heaved as well, making landing thereon difficult
Many airstrips that should have irrigation and drainage systems do not have such systems. Moreover, installing such systems incurs cost. Those airstrips over time can become uneven, rutted, heaved and otherwise unsuitable for landing. Eventually the airstrip reaches a level where landing is not safe. At that point, while it may be more economical in the short term to tear out the existing natural grass, regrade the landing strip and thereafter replant new seed or sod, such remedy only begins anew the cycle of natural grass degradation. The same areas which had previously shown problems growing or sustaining grass growth will likely once again experience such problems due the environment and aircraft impact, especially in situations where the airstrip is not properly watered and drained.
A need therefore exists for an economic, rugged and readily implemented system for replacing natural turf surfaces at airstrips and airfields.